§ Mr. Bruce GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what assessment he has made of the assistance which the introduction of a requirement for cigarette lighters to bear the identity of the manufacturer or importer would provide to the work of trading standards officers; and if he will make a statement; [70804]
(2) what representations he has received from (a) trading standards officers and (b) the BSI on introducing a requirement for the identity of the manufacturer or importer to be marked on each cigarette lighter; and if he will make a statement. [70790]
§ Dr. HowellsApart from the recent correspondence from my hon. Friend and concerns raised by European lighter manufacturers about imported lighters, I have not received any recent representations from trading standards officers or the British Standards Institution about introducing a requirement for the identity of the manufacturer or importer to be marked on cigarette lighters. However, a requirement to provide for such traceability will be included in the revised European and international standard for lighters (BS EN ISO 9994). I believe that this requirement will help enforcement, although I have not made a formal assessment of this.